WORLD MALARIA DAY

 WORLD MALARIA DAY -2022

World Malaria Day 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY : 

Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium infecting red blood cells. A feeding female anopheline mosquito injects the parasites into the human host. P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae are the four Plasmodium species that infect humans. P.faciparum and P. vivax are the most common parasitic infections in Pakistan. The vector Anopheles comes in a variety of species.

Malaria is responsible for one out of every four deaths in newborns and young children, and one out of every ten women who die during childbirth in Sindh is due to malaria. Malaria affects around half of Sindh adults at least once a year, whereas it affects more minor children up to three times a year. It is also the reason for hospital attendance in 7 out of every 10 patients seen in Sindh hospitals.

Malaria particularly hurts under-five children and pregnant women due to the lessened immunity seen in both groups. It contributes to both poverty and underdevelopment for the nation, community, family, and individual because people spend a large part of their yearly income on its prevention and treatment. Reducing the burden of malaria is a cost-effective way of promoting development and reducing poverty.

Pakistan is one of 107 nations where malaria is endemic. Pakistan is currently classified as a moderately endemic country for malaria. Malaria is the second most commonly reported disease from public health facilities, according to the Pakistan Health Management Information System (HMIS) report from 2006. Although the national prevalence of malaria is mild, there is variation in prevalence from province to province and area to area. Both the overall parasite prevalence and the proportional share of falciparum malaria are high in Baluchistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), 5 districts of Sindh, and 14 districts of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). Pakistan's sliding positivity rate is 7%, with 16.5 percent for Balochistan, 17.5 percent for FATA, 8.9 percent for NWFP, 6.5 percent for Punjab, and 1.5 percent for NWFP.

World Malaria Day 2022

GLOBAL MALARIA SITUATION: 

Each year, there are 300-500 million cases and up to 3 million deaths worldwide. Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in South Asia, outside of Africa. Malaria kills one child every 40 seconds throughout the world. If an acute condition is not treated quickly, a kid can die within 24 hours. Malaria is particularly dangerous to infants and pregnant women, with a high fatality rate.

Malaria Day

NATIONAL MALARIA SITUAATION: 

Pakistan is among 107 countries with endemic malaria. Currently, Pakistan is listed among moderately endemic countries for malaria. The Pakistan Health Management Information System (HMIS)’s 2006 report shows malaria as the second most frequently reported disease in public health sector facilities. Although at the aggregate level the prevalence of malaria in Pakistan is moderate, there is variation in prevalence from province to province and area to area. Malaria affects predominantly the poorest of the poor segment, which constitutes about 40% of our population. Pakistan Malaria Control Programme started in 1960 as Malaria Eradication Programme (MEP). After the resurgence of malaria in the seventies, the Programme strategy was switched over from “eradication” to “Control” in 1975. It was decentralized and integrated into the Primary Health Care infrastructure in 1985.

Many areas in Pakistan are epidemic-prone and large-scale epidemics have been reported in the past. As a result of growing anti-malarial drug resistance, vector resistance to insecticides, adverse environmental conditions, mass population movements, and haphazard urbanization; the disease has re-emerged as a major public health problem in many geographical areas and the incidence is rising, especially that of falciparum malaria, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Likewise, the development of an un-planned irrigation network coupled with unprecedented population growth and uncontrolled urbanization together with the deteriorating sanitary conditions and environmental hazards (droughts, heavy rains, earthquakes,s, and floods) has increased the melanogenic potential in Pakistan.

Epidemiology of Malaria

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MALARIA IN PAKISTAN: 

Malaria transmission could be characterized as of low to moderate prevalence having pronounced seasonal transmission and prone to epidemic outbreaks in certain geographical areas. It has a tendency for epidemic outbreaks over larger areas, particularly in Balochistan, NWFP, and Sindh province. However, the disease is now emerging as a prominent health problem in FATA, particularly along the international border with Iran and Afghanistan. Malarial epidemics in Pakistan occur at intervals of 8-10 years. Malaria in Pakistan can be attributed to a number of factors including the influence of weather changing, environmental changes, vector species composition, vector population dynamics, the behavior of vector species that are zoophilic, and the degree of immunity in the population. The major malaria transmission season in Pakistan is post-monsoon (September-November) each year. However, along with the coastal areas and Western border areas, the disease prevails throughout the year. A short transmission season during the spring months (March-April) is also evident. However, during spring, most of the cases are delayed expression of disease transmitted during the post-monsoon season or may be due to the second episode of the disease caused by relapsing vivax malaria. 
Two species of the causal organism or parasites are present in the country named Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum, of which former is the most dominant (75% cases) and latter is the most dangerous (25%). Of a total of 24 anophelines in Pakistan, there are two major vector species named Anopheles culicifacies and A. stephensi. Recently two new species An. fluviatilis and An. annularis have been identified from Balochistan province. Previously these two species have been considered confirmed malaria vectors in Iran and Afghanistan. However, the role of A. superpictus, A. annularius, A. pulcherrimus, A. turkhudi, is also to be confirmed through systematic operational research.

Zero Malaria Death

MALARIA CONTROL PROGRAM IN PAKISTAN

The Malaria Control Programme in Pakistan began in the 1960s under the name Malaria Eradication Programme. Within a decade, it became clear that eradication was too lofty a goal, and Malaria management was established as a more realistic aim. The program was implementing the strategies for control until Pakistan joined the international partnership for Roll Back Malaria (RBM) established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the World Bank, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1999 and adopted the RBM strategies for the control of malaria in the country.

Pakistan’s National Strategy for the Control of Malaria,2007, has been developed within the RBM strategic framework and has the following strategic priorities

 

         Early Diagnosis and Appropriate Treatment,

         Multiple Prevention,

         Epidemic Preparedness and Behavioral Change Communication and

 

These strategic priorities are dependent on two conditional priorities: program management and operational research.

Malaria DAY 

CONCLUSION: 

LET THE ENTIRE WORLD UNITE AS ATEAM TO FIGHT AGAINST THE DEADLY DISEASE TOGETHER. 

 

World Malaria Day